John 9:4-5
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
As a boy I recall going with my mother to pick up my dad from work at a lumber mill. Through a little boy’s eyes, it was exciting for me to watch the huge machines hauling, dumping, sawing, and sorting the giant Douglas fir logs. It was not long after that time when Dad bought a café near the mill. Today both the café and the mill are closed.
Over the years I have seen towns where mills once hummed with activity and production, but now sit silent as they slowly decay. The workers who once thought their futures were secure began cutting corners and doing substandard work.
As the shoddy work practices continued, orders for the products decreased. Suddenly the workers were searching for other jobs and even moving to other towns. In many cases, nothing was left but a dead mill town.
I only wish that this illustration was restricted to mills and towns. The sad reality is that it often applies to individuals, churches, and denominations. In many cases people once felt the fire of God burn bright in their hearts. Little by little they allowed humanistic thinking to replace the true Word of God. The terrible result is a closing of their spiritual mills. Is there life or death in your relationship with Christ? Jesus promises to turn on the light in our lives when we turn to Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil